Whiskey Helped Connie Britton Prepare for Singing on ‘Nashville’

‘Nashville‘ star Connie Britton is no stranger to singing in public, but the roles that made her famous on shows like ‘Spin City’ and ‘Friday Night Lights’ didn’t focus on her voice. The actress admits that preparing for her role as country superstar Rayna Jaymes meant getting some special help from an old country music standby — in this case, whiskey.

“Honestly I was really excited because I used to sing and dance when I first started out,” Britton tells Rachel Ray. “But I hadn’t done it in a lot of years. I mean, I hadn’t done it in a long time. So when this came along I just thought, this is an exciting opportunity and so amazing to play a country star. I was excited about the challenge to get back in my singing voice and all of that.”

Still, Britton admits she needed a confidence boost. She got help from two very different sources. “I’m getting a lot more comfortable thanks to my amazing voice teacher,” she explains. “They have taken me from where I was so terrified that the first time I recorded, they had to give me whiskey. I don’t even like whiskey! I was like, ‘hand it over.’ And now I really, genuinely have a blast.”

Fans will have plenty of opportunities to hear Britton belt it out when ‘Nashville’ returns on Wednesday, Jan. 9 on ABC.

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